Keyless clock.



W. E. E. MILZ.

KBYLESS CLOCK. v APPLIUATION FILED JULY 1a, 1911.

Patented July 9, 1912.

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W. E. E. MILZ. KEYLESS CLOCK. APPLICATION FILED JULY 13, 1911. Y y1,031,804. Patented July 9, 1912.

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NETE@ STATEPTENT FFTCE.

VALTER E. E. VIILZ, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO PHINNEY-WALKERKEYLESS CLOCK CO., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

KEYLESS CLOCK.-

T all wia-0m t may concern:

Be it known that l, lWALTER E. E. MILZ, a subject of the Emperor ofGermany, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in KeylessClocks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to keyless clocks, and is an improvement on ormodification of the inventionshown and described in my raient No.1,009,773.

The object of the present invention is to provide improved means forsetting the hands of the clock by means of a rotatable inner casing andrim. As in the former case, this casing is provided at its inner endwith an annular gear which is normally in mesh with a gear mounted onthe arbor of the spring, so that when the casing is turned the spring iswound. The casing is also shiftable in and out to a limited extent, andwhen pulled out it is disengaged from the spring winding gear, and isengaged with another gear which is operatively connected to thehand-setting devices, for the purpose of setting the hands.

instead of the swinging arbor shown in my former application, l providea relatively stationary arbor', with gearing between the same and thecannon pinion which turns the hands in the usual way, said gearingincluding a gear which is slidable on the arbor, and devices areprovided to slide the gear to engage the setting gears when the casingis pulled out, preparatory to setting the hands, said gearing beingdisengaged when the easing is pushed in to its normal position.

ln the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is a side elevation with theoasings in section. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig.3 is a section on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1. Fig. l is a section similarto Fig. 2, but with the gears engaged. Fig. 5 is a detail of the slidinggear operating device. Fig. G is a detail in section showing the clutchshifter.

Referring specifically to the drawings, G indicates an outer cup shapedcasing which may be mounted o-n any suitable, base support and isrelatively fixed. Fitting at a working fit within this casing is acylindrical rotatable inner casing 7 which may be turned in the outercasing and pulled in or out to Specication of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 13, 1911.

Patented July 9, 1912.

Serial No. 638,343.

a limited extent therein by means of a rim 8 fastened to the front endof the casing, which rim has a lap joint with the front edge of theouter casing. The rim carries the glass and the usual reflector ringaround the dial. At its inner or rear end the inner casing has aninternal ring gear 9 fixed thereto. The back plate of the movement isindicated at 10, the middle plate at 11, and the front plate at 12, andthe movement may be of any suitable or desired construction, andrequires no detailed description. The movement is fastened to the backof the outer casing G by means of screws 13 which take into pillars 14projecting from the back plate.

Fastened to the inside of the inner casing 7 are a pair of flat springs50, having upper and lower notches 51, and these springs project so thatopposite edges of the middle plate 11 of the casing will be engaged inthe notches, the plate slipping from one notch to the other as thecasing 7 is shifted in or out. The purpose of this is to hold the casingin the position to which it is shifted. When the case is pulled out theplate is engaged in the upper notch of each spring, and when it ispushed in it is engaged in the lower notch of each spring, the formerbeing the setting position and the latter the normal or windingposition.

I n its normal position, that is when the casing 7 is pressed in to fullextent, the ring gear 9 engages a spur gear 1G mounted on the springarbor 17 which is connected to the spring in the barrel 1S in the usualmanner, the spring barrel being geared to the clock movement as usual.When the inner casing 7 turned in the proper direction the gear 16 andarbor 17 will be turned, and the spring wound. Back slip is prevented bya detent 19 pivoted to the back plate 10 and engaging the gear 1G.

The gear 16 has on the front side thereof a circular hub or extension 2Oon which an annular spur gear or blind wheel 21 is free to turn. Thiswheel isthe same diameter as the gear 16, and by grasping the rim 8 theinner casing 7 niay be pulled out far enough to shift the annular gear 9from engagement with the gear 16 to engagement with the gear 21. Thespur gear 21 meshes with a pinion on the inner end of an arbor 25 whichextends through the plates of the movement, and has at its frontl end apinion QG loose thereon. The hub of this pinion extends through a holein the front plate, and at its front end, outside of or above the plate,it has spur teeth. At its inner' end, below the plate, it has crownteeth 2G, forming one member of a clutch. The front end of the arbor 25is squared below said pinion, as at 27, and on said squared part has asliding clutch member Q9 which has teeth enn gageable with the teeth 26to transmit the rotation of the shaft to the loose pinion 2G. The pinion26 is geared by a wheel 30a to the center pinion 3() fastened to thecannon 'pinion which turns with the minute hand Vand geared to the hourhand in the usual vay, and when the clutch 29 is engaged and the arbor25 is turned the hands will be set to desired position.

The invention is not limited to the exact embodiment shown, but variousmodifications are possible within the scope thereof.

vWhen the inner casing 7 is pulled forwardly lto the extent necessary toengage its ring gear S) with the gear Q1, and then turned, the motion iscommunicated through the gear 2l, pinion Qel, arbor 25, clutch 29, andgears 2G, 30a and 30 to the hands, and when the casii g is so pulledout, its gear 9 is disengaged from the spring gear 16. The

clutch member 29 is carried by a shifter 35 which consists of a bentpiece of metalV having an inwardly projecting part at the end of whichis an ordinary fork straddling the arbor under the member 29, and anoutwardly and forwardly extending part which works through a notch at(30 in the dial plate of the movement. rllhis shifter is fastened by acollar 86 andset screw to a sliding pin 3T which works through guideholes in the front and middle plates of the movement. A spring 3Sconfined between the collar 3G and the middle plate ll tends to pressthe shifter upwardly and outwardly and thereby engage the clutch members29 and Q6, rlhe outer end of the shifter 35 has a sliding Contact withthe rim 8 as shown in Fig. 6, so that it does not obstruct the turningof said rim, but merely acts to disengage the clutch when the innercasing and the rim 8 are pushed in. Then the inner casing is pulled outas above described the spring 38 lifts the shifter and so engages theclutch, and consequently the rotation of the arbor 25 is connnunicatedto the hands. When the casing is pushed in the spring 38 is conipressedand the shifter disengages the clutch, permitting` the usual windingoperation to be effected, the arbor 25 in this instance rotating idly.wWhen the hand setting is engaged the band may be set by turning the rimin either direction.

Ha ving thus described my invention,what l claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent isu l. ln hand-setting devices for a clock, thecombination of a rotatable ring on the clock casing and shiftable withrespect thereto, gearing between the rings and the hands of the clock`and operating to set the hands by turning the ring, said gearingincluding an arbor and a gear wheel loosely mounted on the arbor, aclutch one member of which is connected to sait gear wheel and the othermember of which is sliiftable on the arbor, a shifter connected to themovable clutch niembeI and projecting to contact with the ring, wherebythe clutch will be opened when the ring shifted in one direction, and aspring a e o against the shifter and tending to close the clutch whenthe ring is shifted in the other (lirection.

Q. ln a clock, the combination of spring winding gearing, hand settinggearing, a casing rotatable around the clock nioven'icnt and shiftableto engagement with either of said gear-ings to operate the samerespectively, and means to hold the casing in either position to whichit is shifted, con'iln'ising a spring attached to the casing andengaging a fixed wart on the movement.

3. lin hand-setting devices for a clock, the combination of a ringrotatable around the clock movement, and shiftable with respect to saidmovement, gearing between the ring and the hands and operating to setthe hands by turning the ring, said gearing including an arbor, a clutchmounted on the arbor, a gear wheel attached to one of the clutch membersand carried on the arbor and forming part of said gearing., a slidableshifting device bearing against the ring and opeatively connected to themovable clutch member and acting to shift lthe same to open the V:lutchwhen the ring is shifted one way, and a spring bearing against the saiddevice and tending to close the clutch.

ln testimony whereof, l al'liX my signature 'in lnesence of twowitnesses.

VALTER F. l. MILZ. llfitnesses Witn'rnn L. BUNNELL 7 Fnnnnnien PnINNnY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. A

